Study: DADT repeal hasn't hurt

The repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy a year ago has not negatively affected the military’s readiness, according to a new academic study.

“The repeal of DADT has had no overall negative impact on military readiness or its component dimensions, including cohesion, recruitment, retention, assaults, harassment or morale,” says the study [pdf] by the Palm Center, a University of California, Los Angeles School of Law–affiliated research center that focuses on sexual minorities in the military.

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The research is billed as the first “scholarly effort” designed to explore the impact of repeal on military readiness, and members of the study’s team represented institutions including the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Marine Corps War College. DADT banned openly homosexual service members from the military until its repeal became effective on Sept. 20, 2011.

Researchers released 12 total findings, including that “in no case did negative consequences outweigh benefits. In balance, DADT repeal has enhanced the military’s ability to pursue its mission.” Also, retention and recruitment were “unaffected” by repeal, and the policy change did not lead to “any new wave of violence or physical abuse” and there was “no wave of mass disclosures of sexual orientation after repeal.”

Only “two verifiable resignations linked to the policy change” occurred — both from military chaplains, according to the study. Researchers assessed the effects of repeal on readiness, cohesion, recruitment and retention, assaults and harassment and morale. The study found no negative impacts in any of those categories except for morale, where there was some variation for individuals, but no net negative impact, according to the research.

Aaron Belkin, the lead author of the study and founding director of the Palm Center, noted in an interview with POLITICO that during the Republican primary, none of the contenders — including current GOP nominee Mitt Romney — expressed support for the repeal of DADT.

“During the primaries, whenever during the debates the moderator would say, ‘Do any of you favor DADT repeal,’ no one would raise their hands,” he said, adding that they “all would raise their hands” when asked whether they would favor reversing the repeal.

He also expressed concern over the GOP platform’s take on DADT.

“The Republican platform now includes language that says, if elected, the president … plans to review military personnel policies,” he said, adding, “I don’t think Mitt Romney wants to admit he wants to repeal, but I think he does want to reverse the policy. It’s important to know if the policy is working or not.”

When asked for comment, Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul pointed to a statement the candidate made to the Des Moines Register in December 2011.

“That’s already occurred,” Romney told the Iowa paper, when asked about his position on gays serving openly in the military. “I’m not planning on reversing that at this stage. I was not comfortable making the change during a period of conflict, due to the complicating features of a new program in the middle of two wars going on, but those wars are winding down, and moving in that direction at this stage no longer presents that problem.”